The Small-Animal Cancer Imaging (SACI) Shared Resource provides state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure for MRI, PET, CT, Beta, SPECT, and optical imaging of mice, rats and other small laboratory animals that serve as models of cancer. Located in the heart of the Washington University Medical Center, SACI combines instrumental and intellectual capabilities found at few other institutions and serves a broad community of cancer scientists who have a pressing need for quantitative image analysis of small laboratory animal model systems.

Core Description

SACI provides access to and maintenance of small-animal MRI, PET, CT, and optical imaging scanners and ancillary facilities and routinely assists and trains researchers in imaging procedures and data analysis methods directed at cancer research. In addition to supporting research applications of small-animal cancer imaging, SACI also provides research and development at the frontier of imaging technology in an effort to make the most powerful new imaging strategies available to its community of cancer researchers. The ancillary small-animal research services and capabilities provided by SACI are extraordinary. Support resources within SACI include consultation for experiment planning and data analysis, animal-procedure assistance for maintenance and monitoring of physiologic status during imaging, and informatics support for local and remote data access, analysis, visualization, and archival.

Access

Service available to All entities, including for-profit organizations.

Priority service for All entities, including for-profit organizations.

Additional information:

Priority service for members of the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center.

Nuclear Medicine Imaging Component (PET, CT, Beta, SPECT, Cherenkov)
Richard Laforest – 314-362-8423, laforestr@wustl.edu
Kooresh Shoghi – 314-362-8990, shoghik@wustl.edu

Optical Imaging Component
Monica Shokeen – 314-362-8979, shokeenm@wustl.edu

Magnetic Resonance Component
Joseph Ackerman – 314-747-1212, ackerman@wustl.edu
Joel Garbow – 314-362-9949, garbow@wustl.edu
James Quirk – 314-362-3875, jdquirk@wustl.edu​

Services

  • Maintenance of and access to small-animal magnetic resonance, nuclear medicine, and optical imaging scanners for cancer research
  • Assistance with animal procedures and monitoring of small-animal physiologic status during imaging
  • Data collection, processing, and analysis
  • Consultation regarding pre-clinical, cancer-related, research-protocol development
  • Support for local and remote data access, analysis, visualization, and archival
  • Maintenance of tumor cell lines
  • Hands-on instrument training
  • Assistance with grant applications and manuscript preparation

Equipment

  • Siemens Pre-Clinical Solution, Inveon PET/CT scanner
  • Siemens microPET-F220 scanner
  • MR Solutions 3-T/7-T (120 MHz/300 MHz), 24-cm clear bore simultaneous PET/MRI scanner
  • Caliper Life Sciences, IVIS LuminaXR, Real-Time Bioluminescence, Fluorescence and X-Ray Imaging System
  • Sub-millimeter, high-performance insert for MicroPET®-Focus scanner
  • 2000Z Digital Biospace Beta Imager
  • Bioscan NanoSPECT/CTPlus scanner
  • GE Typhoon FLA 9500 Biomedical Imager
  • Agilent/Varian 11.74-T (500-MHz), 26-cm clear bore, DirectDrive™ MRI scanner
  • Agilent/Varian 4.7-T (200-MHz), 40-cm clear bore, DirectDrive™ MRI scanner
  • Bruker 9.4-T (400-MHz), 20-cm clear bore MRI scanner with a mouse brain CryoProbe
  • Oxford Instruments RI 2023 MARAN-23 (23-MHz) Relaxometer
  • Horiba Scientific customized spectroscopy system for full-range optical analysis
  • Bruker Multispectral FX Pro optical scanner, Multimodal Imaging System
  • LiCor Pearl Near-Infrared Imaging System
  • Olympus FV 1000 Confocal Laser Scanning Fluorescence Microscope with NIR capabilities
  • Advanced Research Technologies (ART) Optix MX3 Time-Domain Diffuse Optical Imaging System
  • PerkinElmer FMT4000 Continuous wave, whole-body fluorescence molecular tomography system
  • Cyclotrons and associated radiochemistry laboratories are connected to the nuclear imaging component via pneumatic tube system and small-bore gas line for transport of liquid (contained in syringes) and gaseous radiopharmaceuticals

Pricing

Pricing is subject to core verification

Recharge rates depend on services rendered. Contact the individuals noted above for a given component of the Small-Animal Cancer Imaging Shared Resource or use the URL hot link to access the appropriate component’s website for details regarding usage fees.

AFFILIATIONS
Siteman Cancer Center (SCC)
Washington University School of Medicine
Barnes-Jewish Hospital